No I haven't lost weight but thanks for mentioning it

SEATTLE, Washington - When you're me, and you're continually dancing around on the boundary between somewhat overweight and somewhat more overweight, people seem to feel compelled to automatically tell you that you look like you've lost weight when they're seeing you for the first time in a while. It's damn near automatic. Due to work circumstances I'm seeing lots of people that I haven't seen in 1-4 years and they instantly comment that I look thinner.

I'm not thinner. I keep track of these things. I've had quite a bit of trouble getting motivated to diet after swearing off the pursuit of women a year ago and I'm near all-time weight highs.

When I grow a beard, people say the beard looks great, makes you look thinner. When I shave off the beard they say great, being clean-shaven makes you look thinner.

There's only two times - August 1998 and September 2004 - when my weight was higher than it is now. Unless I have achieved some sort of greater density, or unless those specific months were the last time you saw me, I'm not thinner now than when you last saw me.